Page 1113 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 May 2020
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exercised with restraint, care and respect for the affected people. We must always remember that they are the victims of this situation and we must act accordingly, remembering compassion will be such an important part of this final phase of dealing with Mr Fluffy in our city.
In conclusion, the Greens acknowledge the distress that Mr Fluffy asbestos has caused many people in our community over many years. This is a situation that must be brought to an end, and a path forward needs to be set. We are therefore supporting this legislation and do so with the intention that the end will be reached with as little distress as possible for the people involved.
MS ORR (Yerrabi—Minister for Community Services and Facilities, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety and Minister for Government Services and Procurement) (4.41), in reply: I am pleased to address the Assembly during the debate of the Loose-fill Asbestos Legislation Amendment Bill 2020. The government has taken action to remove the risks associated with the presence of loose-fill asbestos insulation in the ACT community. Ninety-six per cent of Mr Fluffy-affected properties have been demolished through the loose-fill asbestos insulation eradication scheme, all privately, providing for a safer residential community across Canberra. However, while any affected properties remain, the risks of exposure to the community will continue.
This bill implements three initiatives for the management of the remaining Mr Fluffy properties from 1 July 2020. These initiatives all promote community safety. I will address the key amendments introduced by this important bill in turn: (1) additional asbestos management plan requirements; (2) development and building approval restrictions; and (3) occupancy prohibition. The bill implements three changes in relation to asbestos management plans, commonly referred to as AMPs. These changes work together to improve the safety of individuals required to attend and conduct work on affected properties.
Firstly, the bill requires additional information relating to AMPs to be made available on the affected residential premises register and published on the Asbestos Response Taskforce website. The register will record whether a property requires an AMP and whether it has a compliant AMP. This amendment is particularly helpful for tradespeople and care workers, who will be able to view the register and then easily assess the risk associated with any work at the property.
Secondly, the bill also requires the AMP to be presented in a display case at a prominent location on the affected property. This is designed to make it easy for anyone about to enter the property to see that it is affected and be able to find out from the report the extent and nature of the contamination. The bill balances the need to provide accessible information to anyone entering an affected home, while not broadcasting that the property is affected to anyone just passing by. This balance is achieved by the nature of the display case itself and the fact that ministerial approval will specify, through a notifiable instrument, the way and the place where the case must be displayed.
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